Calabria > The Jonio coastline

The Jonio coastline

Moving east and proceeding once more southwards, along the Ionio coastline, na-tures show changes again: we find ourselves in the area of the Magna Grecia, home of the ancient Poleis of Sibari, Crotone and Locri. Here the beaches are wider and sandier, often deserted onto which flow the wide stony river beds from the Sila, Serre or Aspromonte. The water is shallower than that of the Tirreno, you can walk easily without sinking, as often happens in certain tropical islands protected by the coral barrier reef. This coast is also strewn with small fortresses, made to defend the locals from the plague of pirate raids to which the entire Calabrese territory was afflicted from for centuries until ‘700. The gentle course of this flat area is interrupted for a moment when we come upon Capo Rizuto, where the coast all of a sudden turns craggy and high, white sandy beaches are reduced to a strip and the waters become even more beautiful. This area has been transformed into a sea park to protect the ecological patrimony hidden within. Not far we find yet another area of importance, not quite as beautiful, but made famous throughout the world due to the discovery of two masterpieces of Greek art, bronze warriors discovered in the sea of Riace, and today conserved in the National Museum of Reg-gio Calabria.